Faith in the Gospel is not just our entrance into the Christian life, but how we grow and mature in the Christian life as well. The love and grace of God in Christ drive both our personal life and our lives in the church. The church ought to be defined by the Gospel. This was one of the major problems with the church in Galatia. Paul had to confront their hypocrisy because “their conduct was not in step with the truth of the Gospel” (2:14).
In the book You’re Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry write:
“When the gospel is taught clearly, and when the people of a church believe it deeply, it does more than renew us personally. The doctrine of grace also creates a culture of grace. In such a church, the gospel is both articulated at the obvious level of doctrine and embodied at the subtle level of vide, ethos, feel, relationships, and community.”
The Ministry Leaders at Living Hope recently did a training on this topic because we want to embody the Gospel and set the tone for a Gospel Culture in the church. The culture of a church (or any group) is rooted in shared beliefs and mission that produces shared values. These values drive the style, expectations, and best practices in the church for behavior, language, communication, relationships, leadership, etc.
The following six values are outlined in our Leaders & Staff Expectations & Procedures. We pray they will define the life and ministry of our church.
- Joy – recognizing and rejoicing in God’s grace at work in your life and the church.
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” | Philippians 1:3-5
- Appreciation – walking with humility, honor, and gratitude toward other people.
“Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.” | Romans 16:3-4
- Trust – collaborating with others as a team and trusting the leaders and supervisors.
“I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need.” | Philippians 2:25
- Communication – sharing ideas, asking questions, expressing feelings, and respectfully voicing concerns.
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” | Ephesians 4:29
- Diligence – taking ownership of your ministry responsibilities and working hard.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” | 1 Corinthians 15:10
- Care – accomplishing tasks while also prioritizing and loving people.
“But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” | 1 Corinthians 12:24-26
We hope and pray these grace-filled values fill our church. Of course it is easy to drift, and so we must be intentional to build and uphold a healthy Gospel culture in our church. As Elders, Deacons, and Ministry Leaders, we do this through these five practices:
- Teach – what you instruct, share, and explicitly expect.
- Demonstrate – how you speak and behave with others.
- Allow – what you permit to happen, both healthy and harmful.
- Celebrate – the people, stories, and practices you highlight.
- Confront – unhealthy practices you take action to correct and stop.
How have you been transformed by the work of Christ? How does God’s grace define your life? How can you help uphold this culture at Living Hope?
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